Board at Christmas

Article by Hannah WilliamsDecember 20, 2016

Board games at Christmas are becoming a lost art. With TV Christmas Specials and digital technology taking up more of our time, family bonding is becoming less personal and more interactive. Here at milk, we think it’s time to dig out the classics and spend some one-on-one time with relatives and friends. Brew a festive hot chocolate and get the family around the table with our guide to the best board games for the holidays. Talk to your older family members because we’ve heard tales of monopoly wars and fictional murder mysteries turning non-fictional when Dad steals the joint-credit card…

Monopoly

A classic. The aim of the game, as most people know, is to become the highest grossing landlord as you acquire money and property. As you travel around the board, properties are bought, money is lost and tensions rise. This can be messy; the longest recorded monopoly game in history lasted eighty days! With memes of Monopoly boards flying across rooms gracing our Facebook feeds, and years’ worth of family rivalry based on whether the Banker is stealing money from the common people, it’s sure to add a bit of drama to anyone’s Christmas this year.

Can you believe this year actually marks the eightieth anniversary since the beloved game was first put on the shop’s shelves? Being such a popular game, throughout it’s time many editions have been created. From Disney Monopoly to Create-your-own-poly – where you can have fun with naming the streets yourself – there’s something to appeal to every kind of family. Trigger warning: do be prepared for the arguments that will ensue.

Trivial Pursuit

Being crowned the king or queen of general knowledge is an honor everyone aspires towards; but how do you decide the most superior? A game of Trivial Pursuit, of course! As you travel around the wheel-shaped board, players take it in turns to answer challenging questions to earn coloured piece of ‘cheese’. These are collected to add to their own piece to track their progress. The different coloured wedges correlate to the different topic areas within the game and the first person who fills their piece with the different coloured wedges wins. Easy, right?

Like Monopoly, the editions of Trivial Pursuit are endless, from junior editions to movie franchise, there’s a knowledge for everyone to excel in.

Professor Plum, in the dining room, with a candlestick – don’t worry, this isn’t a new language. At the start of Cluedo three cards are selected at random and slipped into an envelope before any of the players see their contents. These cards contain the suspect, the room and the weapon of the fictional murder. Once the cards are distributed amongst the rest of the players the game begins and you can start to solve the murder mystery. As you work through the game, the crime becomes clearer until eventually someone claims the right answers and has the privilege of bragging rights for the rest of the day.

Charades

While it’s not exactly a board game, this traditional game is always a great laugh with your loved ones. The concept of Charades isn’t lost on anyone: all you have to do is describe a film, book, TV show or more without talking. If you’re stuck for creativity, physical board games have been created to aid the ideas process. Save your money for presents this Christmas and simply think up ideas your own; mix things up and compete with others as you challenge them to act out the ideas you think of. This game never fails to bring that belly aching laughter we all love so much.

Card Games

Neglecting the fact that you or someone you have all the above games lying around, its more than likely a pack of cards will be stuffed in a drawer somewhere. Card games have been played since the twelfth-century and the number of games you can play with these cards is endless. From simple games like Snap for the kids to a game with complex rules like Rummy can be fun for the whole family; see how daring you are and entertain those who are legally allowed with an afternoon of drinking alongside Ring of Fire.

Interesting fact: Bryan Berg earned the Guinness World Record for the world’s tallest card tower in 1992; his highest to date however measured over twenty-five feet! If you get bored this holiday season, do you fancy your chances at beating him?

Christmas is a time to celebrate family and spend time with your loved ones, and we should all take full advantage of that. What are your favourite games to play at Christmas? Tweet us at @milkbathspa

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